Occupational safety and health
Chemicals manufacturers must constantly deal with the significant and omnipresent risk of injury accidents and health hazards inherent in the business of handling chemical substances, operating machinery and equipment, and manufacturing processes. We invest in safety and education to minimize risks and ensure the safety of our employees and all individuals associated with our business activities.
Basic approach
The Group has designated Safe People and Operations (occupational safety and health) as one of our materialities. Workplace safety and protecting and promoting the health of all employees is a fundamental part of our corporate management, and all Group companies implement occupational safety and health initiatives.
In FY2021, the Global Working Team (currently the Global Team) set up under the then ESG Committee established a global policy on occupational safety and health.
NIPSEA Group ensures that its health, safety, and environmental (HSE) efforts cover the following areas: 1) Raising employee awareness on the importance of health and safety measures, 2) Objective and target setting on key HSE performance indicators
(KPIs), 3) Regular reviewing of HSE performance, 4) Resource planning for HSE implementation, maintenance, and improvement, and 5) Availing grievance mechanisms. As actions covering the area 1), NIPSEA Group utilizes a variety of communication tools to raise employee awareness of health and safety measures, as well as the roles and responsibilities of top Management, the HSE committee, Heads of Departments, and employees themselves.
We also ensure that employees are well-informed on the relevant HSE precautions through workshops and briefings held on subject matters like chemical and PPE safety, machine use, and lifesaving and occupation first-aid techniques that are taught by internal or external professionals.
The Dunn-Edwards approach to safety is to assess, analyze, implement, and evaluate. Assess the workplace, analyze the data/observations, implement corrective actions, and evaluate the corrective actions. For FY2022, Dunn-Edwards is focusing on three main areas: Vehicle Safety, Facility Safety, and Lifting Safety. For instance, they are focusing efforts to reduce lifting injuries due to the frequency/severity of injuries related to lifting. Efforts include training, mechanical assist devices, and exercises.
Manual handling is the most significant non-fatal injury risk at DuluxGroup, including Dulux Trade Centers where employees who serve customers lift and carry paint cans every day. Significant investment to reduce these risks has been undertaken over recent years, such as installation of pneumatically operated hook lifts at tinting stations. As part of Dulux Trade Australia’s “Fit for Life” program, new wearable technology was utilized in conjunction with Curtin University during 2021 to analyze manual handling stresses experienced by employees whilst doing their normal daily duties. This data provided a range of evidence-based insights, such as identifying specific high-risk tasks, showing the impact of distraction on risk levels.
Nippon Paint Group Global Policy
We care for the health, safety and well-being of everyone.
Japanese business practice asserts that a business is not viable if it is not safe, and the Nippon Paint Group puts safety first and foremost. The Group diligently implement measures to prevent injury accidents before they occur and, following our shared safety philosophy, actively conducts safety activities in accordance with our Responsible Care® (RC) initiative.
Management system
In 2020, the Group declared an ESG Statement and identified Safe People and Operations as an issue of materiality while also implementing measures to prevent occupational accidents and to create safe working environments for employees.
In 2022, we adopted the Group-wide Global Code of Conduct, which included considering employee and stakeholder safety in our activities. Specifically, the Global Team that works directly under the Directors, Representative Executive Officers & Co-Presidents discusses policies and initiative concerning occupational safety and health as one of our ESG issues and reports their outcomes to the Co-Presidents.
In Japan, members from all Group companies as well as on-site business contractors participate in the Responsible Care Committee and Group Safety and Environment Council, and Product Safety Council to find solutions to issues and improve the Group’s safety and health activities. These groups share information about injury accidents and major incidents that occurred at Group companies as well as accidents in other industries and the countermeasures are implemented throughout the Group to prevent recurrence.
All companies in all regions maintain RC and safety and health committees, which not only formulate measures for specific cases, but also address safety and environmental issues for all regions and engage all employees in finding solutions. Accident prevention efforts also include diligent risk assessments in all regions.
Nippon Paint Group Occupational Safety and Health Promotion Structure (based on the Group RC Promotion Structure)
See here for details on the occupational safety and health management system.
For details about the Nippon Paint Group occupational safety and health management system, please see here.
Risk assessment
All companies in all regions maintain RC and safety and health committees, which not only formulate measures for specific cases, but also address safety and environmental issues for all regions and engage all employees in finding solutions. Accident prevention efforts also include diligent risk assessments in all regions.
The Nippon Paint Group in Japan conducts safety and risk assessments and uses the results to plan and implement risk mitigation measures and to ensure strict compliance with risk acceptance mechanisms.
Assessments are conducted:
- When risk conditions change due to the introduction of or changes to equipment, materials, or operating methods
- At regular intervals based on the condition of machinery or equipment, such as for older equipment, or when the employees operating the equipment change
- At regularly scheduled times for existing equipment and work processes
In recent years, the risk assessments that are the core of our safety and health initiatives aimed at achieving zero serious accidents have focused primarily on addressing the increasing number of injury accidents that were occurring due to falls, reaction movements, and forced movements. We also responded to accidents that occurred within the Group in Japan by communicating information with all domestic Group companies, revising the onsite rules and safety measures, and strengthening management.
In addition, we conduct risk assessments and due diligence for occupational safety and health along with a wide range of items at new business partners and companies that join the Group through acquisitions or mergers.
For information about our risk assessments for chemical substances, please see here.
Targets and performance
As part of our responsible care activities, the Group sets and actively seeks to achieve targets occupational safety and health, security and accident prevention.
For FY2021 targets and results, see the Environmental and safety management page.
Lost workday case rate - employees & contractors (Global)
Lost Workday Case Rate (per 200,000 hrs)
*Coverage of Global data: NIPSEA Group, DuluxGroup, Japan Group, and Dunn-Edwards.
Specific initiatives
Global safety and health activities: Contributing to safety controls at overseas Group companies
The Group actively supports safety and environmental activities at overseas Group companies. In fiscal 2020, although the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from being able to directly visit companies, we were able to enhance the activities and level of leader competence in each country through the NIPSEA Safety & Sustainability Council and online meetings with each site.
In fiscal 2020, we started updating the risk assessment lists with the main purpose of identifying and addressing serious risks, such as fires and explosions, that cause operation suspensions. We also provided the lists to overseas Group companies and stepped up measures to prevent serious accidents.
Safety and health education
The Group seeks to prevent occupational accidents and raise risk awareness by providing regular occupational safety and health education programs at all companies and worksites. Safety training programs provided to all Group companies in Japan in fiscal 2021 were:
- Online entry training for new employees: 89 participants
- Online follow-up training for new employees: 78 participants
- Online ISO internal auditor training course: 113 participants